Steam heating apparatus.



Patented .luly I0, |900n W. C. SEHRELL. STEAM HEATING APPARATUS.

\ (Appliation filedA man3, 1900.) (HT) Nudel.)

Nrnn STATES i PATENT Ormea.

WILLIAM C. SERRELL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THEWARREN WEBSTER da COMPANY, OF NEW JERSEY.

STEANI H EATING APPARATUS.

srncrFrcA'rioN forming part of Lettersratenn No. 653,265, dated .my 1o,1900.

Application filed March 9, 1900. Serial No. 8,005. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. SERRELL, of the city and county ofPhiladelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement inSteam Heating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to steam heating apparatus; and it consists ofcertain improvements which are fully set forth in the followingspeciiication and are shown in the accompanying drawings. f In manysteam-heating systems, especially where there are material Variations inthe amount of condensation produced in any part of the apparatus,particularly in paper and cloth drying machines, difticulty isexperienced in draining such portions of the system of the excess ofwater of condensation which is produced. If the normal thoroughfare ismade sufficiently large to rapidly discharge the excessive condensation,it will be so large that under normal conditions large volumes of steamwill escape and be wasted.

It is one of the objects ofA my invention to enable the normalaccumulations of air and water of condensation to be properly dischargedwithout waste of steam and to automatically increase the thoroughfarefor the discharge of material excesses in the volume of water produced.

My invention may be applied either to a pressure systemor to one inwhich a partial vacuum or lower pressure is maintained in the returns.

v In carrying out my invention I employ a trap connected with the returnand with the drip from the part to be drained, incombination with avalve-piece having a small valve passage-way'opening into the return forthe discharge of water and air under normal conditions and controlledby'a pressuremotor under the control of the pressure in the system,which enables the valve-piece to be opened automaticallyv to a greaterextent upon any excessive accumulation of water of condensation in thetrap, the normal pressure which acts in the motor to maintain thevalvepiece upon its seat being unbalanced by the hydrostatic head pf theexcess of condensation. By means of a regulating-piece, which may be athermostatic expanding piece, if desired, the size of the thoroughfareto the return-outlet afforded by the small valve passage-way in themotor-controlled valve-piece may be regulated to suit the normal rate ofdischarge. A

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical sectional view of a valve ortrap embodying my invention, and Figs. 2 and 3 are diagrammatic viewsillustrating the connections ot the trap or valve.

A is the trap, connected with the drip F from the part of the system tobe drained and with the return G.

I is the valve-piece, which controls the return-outlet b and is providedwith a small passage-way ,opening into the return for the discharge ofwater of condensation and air at normal rates.

D is the pressure-motor, which controls the valve-piece I and is in turncontrolled by the pressure in the system through the pipe H, connectedtherewith.

In the particular construction shown the trap A consists of an outercasing having an internal chamber'which is divided into two compartmentsB O by the internal exible or movable diaphragm or partition D ,whichconstitutes the pressure-motor.

In practice the body of the trap A is preferably formed of two flangedparts E E', bolted together, with the edge of the diaphragm D clampedbetween their flanges..

The compartment B is provided with an inlet a, which communicates with adrip or 8 5 bleeder F, and with an outlet b, which communicates with theIreturn-pipe G and is formed with a seat ol.

The compartment C is provided with'an inlet c, which communicates withabranch I-I 9o from any part of the steam-supply.

The valve-piece I is carried by the diaphragm D and adapted tot upon theseat d of the discharge-outlet o. The valve-piece I is provided with apassage-way i, which, as shown, consists of a transverse passage-wayextending through the piece I and opening through the top at the center.

K is an adjustable controlling piece or plug arranged immediately abovethe valve paszoo vnected with the pipe F at a lower level than thedrip-point f, from which the Water of condensation is to be discharged;but when this is not possible from the construction of the building orlocation of the apparatus it may be connected by a n M, asshown in Fig.2,l

for the purpose of giving sufficient fall in the bleeder F. The pressurein the chamber C through the pipe H is substantially the same as thenormal pressure in the chamber B lthrough the pipe F, and theAvalve-piece I is held lightly upon the seat d by the diaphragm D. Theregulating-plug K is adj usted to afford sufficient opening through thepassageway i for the desired thoroughfare to the outlet b for the escapeof the water of condensation under normal conditions. Should thereoccur, however, for any reason an excessive condensation in the part ofthe system drained by the drip F, the water Will fill the chamber B anddripF and the diaphragm D will be depressed vunder the extra pressuredue to the hydrostatic head afforded by the pipe F, thus moving thevalve-piece I away from the plug K and seat d and affordingathoroughfare of greatly-increased area for the discharge of theaccumulation of Water. When this excess has passed off and normalpressure is restored, the valve-piece I will again close in its seat dand the normal thoroughfare will be resumed.

The return Gr may be connected With an exhausting apparatus to create alower pressure or partial vacuum in the return and a constant suctionupon the outlet to draw o'the water ofcondensation and the air morerapidly. With such a'systemthe trap or valve device is of specialbenefit, because it enables a minimum thoroughfare to be employed forwithdrawing the air and water of condensation Without material Waste ofsteam, while enabling the thoroughfare to be enlarged automaticallywhenever `an excess of condensation accumulates.

The regulating-plug K may consist `of a lthermostatic expanding piece ofany suitable material, either metal or composition, Aand when such athermostatic piece is used there will be practically no Waste of steamWhatever,evensthroughthe small normal thoroughfare provided by theadjustment `of the plug relatively to the valve-piece I, as thethermostatic expanding piece will elongate when subjected to steam andclose automatically upon the piece I.

Since the pressure normally maintained in the chambers B and C is thesame as the pressure throughout the system generally, any variation inpressure throughout the system will not in any way affect the operationof the trap, which remains equally operative under all of the `varyin gconditions under which the general system is operating.

The details of construction which have been shown may be varied withoutdeparting from the invention. u

What I claimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isas'follows:

l. Avalve or trap for a steam heating apparatus, consisting of an outercasing having an inlet and an outlet and a passage-Way between saidinlet and outlet, a valve-piece to control the passage-waythroughsaidcasing, a pressure-motor to control said valve-piece, and anadjustable regulating-piece to control the size of the passage-wayafforded by said valve-piece.

2. A valve or trap'for a steam he'atingfapparatus, 'consisting ofranouter casing Vhaving an inlet and an outlet and a passage-way betweensaid inlet and outlet, a valve-piece to control the passage-way throughsaid casing having a normally-small open passage-way, a pressure-motorto ycontrol said valve-piece, and an adjustable regulating-piece tocontrol the size of the passage-way afforded by said valve-piece.

3. A valve or trap for steam heating lapparatus, consistingof an outercasing, 'an internal flexible diaphragm "dividing 'said Vcasinginternally into'two compartments, one ofsaid compartments having aninletv for Water of condensation and a discharge-outlet, and the othercompartmentia steam-inlet, a Vvalvepiec'e having a small valvepassage-wayc'arried by said diaphragm and located Vat saiddischarge-outlet, and a regulating-piece "locate'din saiddischarge-outlet and adjustable with reference to said' valve-piecetocontrol the size of the thoroughfareaffordedby said valve passage-Way.

4:. A valveor trap forstea'm heating 'apparatus, consisting of an outercasing, 'an' internal flexible diaphragm dividing'saidcasi'ng internallyinto two'compartmen'ts, oneof'said compartments having an inlet forWater of condensation anda discharge-outlet, 'andy the other compartmenthaving a' steam-inlet,fa valve-piece having a valve'passage-wa'y carriedby said diaphragm and located latsaid discharge-outlet, and aVthermostatic expanding piece'located in' said discharge-outlet adjacentto the passage-way in vsaid valve-piece.

5. Avalve or trapfor steam heating. apparatus, Aconsisting of an outercasing, an internal flexiblediaphragm dividing said casingintern'allyintotwo compartments, one of said compartments having aninlet vfor waterof condensation and a discharge-outletterminating in aseat d, and the other compartment having. a pressure-inlet, avalve-piece lI Vcarried by said diaphragm,adapted tobear upon the seat dof said discharge-outlet and provided lwith a valvev passage-Way z',anda regulating-plug K 'adjustable tor-and from Lsaid valve-piece I toregulate the thoroughfare afforded by said valve passage-way 't'.

IOO

IIO

6. A valve or trap for steam heating apparatus, consisting of an outercasing, an internal flexible' diaphragm dividing said casing internallyinto two compartments, one of said compartments having an inlet forWater of condensation and a discharge-outlet terminating in a seat d,and the other compartment having a pressure-inlet, a valve-piece Icarried by said diaphragm, adapted to bear upon the seat d of saiddischarge-outlet and provided with a valve passage-Way t', and athermostatic regulating-plug K of expanding material adjustable to andfrom said valve-piece I to regulate the thoroughfare afforded by saidvalve passage-Way z'.

7. In a steam heating apparatus, the combination with a drip or bleeder,of a trap into which said bleeder discharges, a return leading from saidtrap, a valve-piece to control the outlet Within the trap to said returnprovidedwith a valve passage-Way open into said return, a regulatingplug adjustable to or from said valve-piece to regulate the normalthoroughfare afforded by said valve passage- Way, and a pressure-motorcontrolled by the pressure in the system for controlling saidvalve-piece.

8. In a steam heating apparatus, the combination With a drip or bleeder,of a trap into which said bleeder discharges, a return leading from saidtrap, a valve-piece to control the outlet Within the trap to said returnprovided With a valve passage-Way open into said return, a thermostaticregulating-plug composed of expansible material, adjustable to or fromsaid valve-piece to regulate the normal thoroughfare afforded by saidvalve passage yWay, and a pressure-motor controlled by the pressure inthe system for controlling said valve-piece.

9. In a steam heating apparatus, the combination With a drip or bleeder,of a trap into which said bleeder discharges provided with athoroughfare, a return leading from said trap, a valve-piece to controlthe thoroughfare Within the trap to said return provided with a smallvalve passage-Way normally open to said return ,and a pressureMmotorcontrolled by the pressure in the system to control said valve-piece andthe size of the thoroughfare to the return.

10. In a steam heating apparatus, the cornbination of a trap having apermanently-open but variable valve passage-Way for the discharge ofWater of condensation, a movable valve-piece to control the area of saidpassageway controlled by the Water of condensation in said trap and apressure-motor connected with the system and acting on said valvepieceto control its movements.

In testimony of which invention Ihave hereunto set my hand.

\ WILLIAM C. SERRELL.

Witnesses:

R. M. KELLY, WM. W. MORGAN.

